21 Greencastle Pier Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey/ two bay house with two gabled blocks abutting at right angles to right gable, all on the north side of Greencastle Pier Road.

Pitched natural slate roof to main house has cement verges and a cement rendered chimney at centre. No rainwater goods. Walls are painted lime render with projecting eaves.

Principal elevation faces south to road. There is a 6/6 sliding sash windows with painted granite cills to each of the two bays on façade. The originally doorway is to extreme right and has been infilled.

Left gable is blank.

Right gable is also blank and abutted to right side by the first gabled block (internally there is a door between the two).

Rear wall of main block is as façade. Most of right bay is abutted by a post-war extension. Remaining wall to right of extension has a 1/1 sliding sash window with horns. The wall to left of extension has a small fixed four paned casement to left and a sheeted half door to its right.

Extension has a mono-pitched corrugated asbestos and clear plastic roof, which runs to a shared gutter on the back wall of house. Its walls are cement rendered brick and blank (its top lit from roof).

Gabled block abutting right gable of house has a pitched natural slate roof. Its front gable is set back from the main block and it is harled and painted. At left is a modern sheeted door and to right is a modern two paned window.

The second gabled block abuts its right wall. Left wall fronts yard and is blank and its rear gable has a pair of sheeted timber doors.

Second gabled block has a pitched natural slate roof with a chimney on its rear gable. Roof shares a drainage valley with the previous gabled block. It has a sheeted door to left side of its front gable. Its right wall has two 6/6 sliding sashes and its rear wall is blank and abutted by a small shed with pitched corrugated metal roof and rubble walls, and on its end gable is a sheeted door.

Setting

A low timber ranch fence encloses small front garden. Yard is accessed from a lane at left gable of house. It is part gravel and part tarred and contains a timber shed(to rear of bathroom extension). Rear garden is large and contains some mature trees. To west side is a small outside toilet with pitched natural slate roof and painted rubble walls and to its north is a similarly detailed pig house the door of which has been raised. Also in rear garden is a restored Mourne turf cart.

Historical information

A building is shown at this location on the 1834 OS map. It is not cited in the 1835 valuation book, indicating a very modest house. The 1872 valuation revision entry notes “new house – grocer’s shop”, and an increase in valuation from 10s0d to £2 (increasing to £3.10s0d in 1878).

Owner states that part of complex was Greencastle post office around the turn of the 20th century. When the house was purchased by its present owner some years ago, it had been much modernised. During the restoration a modern kitchen extension was removed from the rear, original openings were reinstated, glazing bars were introduced into the front windows and internal doors, ceiling and Mourne fireplace were all reintroduced.

Primary Sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 57 (PRONI OS/6/3/57/1)
2. PRONI- VAL 12B/19/13A, p.25 (valuation revision).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This attractive vernacular grouping has been partially restored but not of special architectural or historic interest.